Amalgamation
by Tiana-P
Summary: noun. The act or process of the combination of multiple entities into a unified or integrated whole. E/C
1. Chapter One

_A/N: Righto... This is my first CSI:Miami fic, so please, please, please be kind =D . I welcome both constructive criticism and all good reviews, so you can just hit that little button down there at the bottom of the page and write exactly what you think. I do hope you enjoy this chapter. I have the whole fic planned out [it's a case fic as well as fluff/romance, so I had to plan it out before I drove myself nuts], so there is a lot to come. R&R. _

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With summer right around the corner, the temperature was already rising, long before many of the inhabitants of the city had. Along with the sun came a day with predictable heat, humidity and, of course, rain showers. Coolness, created only by the great invention of the air conditioner, was the only thing that made nights and early morning bearable enough to be able to sleep through. Especially when sharing the bed with another person. However; regardless of the A/C system, the comfort of spending the night with a loved one or the slight distance between them to keep away the any unnecessary added heat, the curse of a cell phone was always there to tear away any hopes for a relaxed start to the morning. Because no matter how the seasons changed or how early in the day it was, crime was the one thing that never cared.

Even in the silence, it took a few seconds before Calleigh began to wake up to the sound that was drawing her reluctantly out of her dreams. It was familiar and, unfortunately, there was no ignoring it. The short frequent beeps, spaced 10 seconds apart, caused her to groan as she refused to crack open an eye. Just by the fact that it was the phone and not the alarm that had woken her up was enough to tell her it was way too early.

_Beep, beep_.

Rolling onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling for a few seconds to get her bearings. The light filtered in from around her curtains, allowing her to make out the items on her bedside table as she threw out her arm to search for the object in question. Frowning when nothing that felt even remotely like her cell phone came under her fingers, Calleigh pushed herself up onto her elbow to gain a better look. As suspected, it wasn't there.

"S'on this side." A husky voice mumbled from nest to her; sleep clear in his words even though they were muffled by the pillow he had now pressed his face into.

"Thanks." She whispered in return, a smile gracing her face as she reached over him to grab her phone from the table on his side of the bed. She wasn't quite sure how it had ended up there, but she knew there wasn't any point in wasting time thinking over it.

"Work?"

"Yup." Calleigh replied, still smiling as she read through the text that detailed the information that she needed for her next case.

"What time is it?" Eric asked, grogginess now gone from his voice even as his eyes remained shut and didn't budge from his position lying flat on his front.

"Almost half 5." She sighed before shaking her head and replacing her phone back onto the table next to her. "Go back to sleep. You still have a couple more hours."

"Hmm..." He hummed contently as she brushed her hand down his bare spine before dropping a soft kiss to his shoulder whilst sliding out of bed. "Have fun." Her laugh followed her as she exited the room and into the conjoining bathroom.

Eric remained where he was for a few minutes longer, listening for the telltale sounds of the water hitting the tiles and floor of the shower being disturbed to allow himself to relax once again. Shuffling a bit to get comfortable once again, which wasn't too hard when he caught the faded scent of vanilla and jasmine from the pillow next to his, he was fairly sure he has succumb back into sleep when another series of beeps emitted from next to him.

It sounded almost the same as the one that had already woken him up a little while ago. In fact, if he really wanted to, Eric was sure he could convince himself that it _was_ the same alert that Calleigh's phone made when it was holding an unread text message in the inbox. But the small variation of one measly additional beep was enough to draw him away from the beauty that was sleep and back to reality.

He rolled onto his back as he simultaneously picked up the offending item. It took several blinks to clear his eyes enough to make out what the message said. A sigh, this one of resignation rather than content, left his lips as he pushed himself up in the bed into a semi sitting up position. One glace at the corner of the screen on his phone told him that it was now ten to 6; not too early, but early enough for a hint of irritation to settle in.

That was, of course, until the door that separated the bedroom from the bathroom opened and he was reminded that the reason behind his irritation was in fact irrelevant that day. Even if he hadn't been called in, the additional two hours sleep would have been somewhat boring when the reason why he preferred simply staying in bed wasn't there with him.

"You too?" Calleigh's voice broke him out of his thoughts. Her tone had been soft and light, but it was the smirk on her face that had him shooting her a smile back.

"No rest for the wicked." He quipped, watching her unabashedly as she towelled her hair dry, dressing in only a robe.

"Unfortunately for us." She added, catching his eye via the mirror and raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing." Eric replied, his boyish smile still in place while clearing his throat as he threw aside the sheets that were over his lower half. "I'm going to jump into the shower."

"Alright. I'll make us some coffee." Calleigh told him as she flicked her hair over her shoulder to let it cascade down her back. "Can you put this in the hamper for me, please?"

"Sure." Taking the damp towel from her hand and throwing it over his shoulder as he approached her from behind, Eric placed his hands lightly on her shoulders before pressing his lips to the back of her head. "Morning, by the way."

"Morning." She said in reply, her voice laced with amusement as his hands began descending down her arms. "Shouldn't you be getting ready? You'll be late."

"I don't think it's possible to be late when my shift starts in 3 hours." He groaned dramatically, backing away nonetheless and making his way to the bathroom as he had intended.

"I wouldn't put anything past you." Calleigh joked, managing to catch the low chuckle that Eric let out just before the door closed without another word.

Inhaling deeply, she shook her head at herself. The grin on her face that had appeared almost as soon as she had stepped out of the bathroom had only died down to a ghost of a smile that she was pretty sure would remain until she got to the crime scene downtown.

The reminder of the job that she was up early to do got Calleigh moving once again, starting up her routine to get ready as she did almost every day. On autopilot, it was only 15 minutes later that she was finishing off the last of her coffee while sitting at the counter in her kitchen, flipping mindlessly through the paper that she was only reading to give her something to do while having breakfast.

A muted shuffling that became clearer with time indicated that Eric was going to join her soon in the kitchen. No sooner had the thought passed through her mind did she spot him approaching from the corner of her eye. Calleigh pushed back her stool to place her empty cup and plate into the sink before pulling out a clean mug from the cupboard overhead and pouring a fresh cup of the hot beverage. It wasn't as good as he made it or liked it, she knew, but it was good enough. A lazy smile grew on her face as she watched him approach slowly, knowing that he wouldn't be in his normal mood until he had some coffee, especially so early in the morning.

Greeting her with a brief yet lingering kiss, he murmured a simple thanks as she handed him the cup, the words showing his exasperation before the day had even begun. She smiled in reply, moving back to where she had been sitting to gather up the paper and fold it up once again. Even though being called out to a scene usually meant for them to get there as soon as possible, Calleigh wasn't one to leave her place a mess because of it. Besides, a few more seconds at home where all things were bright and happy came before the rest of the day dealing with death and the darkness that was brought with it.

"Where's your call out to?" Eric broke the comfortable silence that they had fallen into, turning to face her as he waited for the toaster to pop.

"Downtown. Miami Beach. You?" She answered, leaning against the counter opposite him, finally glad that everything was put back to where she wanted it.

"The 'Glades." He told her with a small shrug. "Probably got another floater."

"Hope the water's cool for you. It's going to be a hot one." Calleigh laughed lightly and causing her boyfriend to smirk at her words. "Alright, I'm going to finish getting ready and then head off."

Eric nodded noncommittally, turning back around to fix himself something to eat as the blonde left the room for her bedroom. He knew that although she wouldn't take too long to get her shoes on and gather her cell, badge and gun, by the time she was ready, he would probably be ready to leave for himself. If they had been heading to the same scene, or even the same area, it would have been an ideal situation. Instead, as luck would have it, they were going in total opposite directions.

As predicted, Eric had just taken the last sip of his coffee before pouring the rest down the drain and rising out the cup when the unmissable of heels tapped out against the tiled floor of the kitchen. The corner of his mouth kicked up in a smile as he took in the mid-calf leather boots that Calleigh had put on; eyes lingering a moment too long at her slender legs as she cleared her throat in an obvious attempt to recapture his attention in a more productive way.

"If you like them so much, you can always borrow them." She remarked in faux earnest and raised an eyebrow as she tried hard to keep the grin from breaking out on her face once again that morning.

"No, I think they look better on you." Eric replied smoothly and coolly when he brushed past her to leave the room, causing her to follow a few steps behind him. "Ready to go?"

"Yup." Calleigh merely said, picking up her keys from where she had tossed them the night before on the counter besides the landline phone. Her eyes caught the small clock that sat on the same table, telling her that it was now almost 6.30am. Although early, it was a fortunate accident to be called in so early to a crime on the beach. With the weather so good, she knew that even with another hour, the amount of people on the beach would increase 10-fold, and within a few hours, by the afternoon, perhaps even more. "What?" She asked the man in front of her as they exited her house when he looked at her from over his shoulder before shaking his head mockingly.

"You're already lost in thought. Thinking about work, no doubt." He informed her knowingly. Calleigh had to bite her bottom lip to keep herself from giving away just how well he did know her.

"Actually, I was thinking about how nice the cool breeze will feel on the beach in this heat." She lied before realising that what she said was in fact true. "Especially as opposed to the humidity around the Everglades. Should make our work easier."

"There is no way you can say that when you have never been diving in the 'Glades. If you want something cool and making work easier; that's it." He argued, falling back into step with her as they made their way to their cars.

"'Easier?' You'll be in the water all day. It's a big canvas to search through. But I'm sure you already know that." Calleigh countered with a scoff, pressing the unlock button on her key as she got to her car. "Tell you what, I'll make you a deal."

"I'm listening..." Eric urged on, pausing in between the space of their two cars and watching and she opened the driver's side door.

"Whoever's case is done last, cooks dinner." She enticed him, the smile on his face spreading to her own as she stood with one hand on the door and the other on the car with the intent of climbing in.

"Alright, sounds like a date." He chuckled, swinging the keys to his own car around his finger before turning to round his car and get to the right side. "No shortcuts though." His words earned him a glare from the woman next to him as she climbed into her car. Although he had been joking, and she herself was only half-heartedly trying to scold him, the words were merely a moot point. They both knew that no matter what, cutting corners in their jobs wasn't worth any little bet they had going on.

"I'll talk to you later." Calleigh said softly as she rolled down her window to let some of the hot air out and started the car.

"Ok. Be safe." Eric replied, nodding at her from over the roof of his car as she began to reverse out of her driveway.

"Always am." Her words were bubbly and nonchalant; typically her. Managing to catch the always visible smile on her face before she turned the car and sped away to her destination, Eric climbed into his car, turning on the engine and the A/C as soon as he could. It wasn't long before the temperature was beginning to settle to a degree that he preferred, already having pulled out onto the main road heading in the other direction to where Calleigh was going. The journey to the Everglades wasn't a quick one, but with the sun shining and an already great start to the day despite the call out, he couldn't help but actually relax as he sped down the highway to the job that he loved to do the most.


	2. Chapter Two

_A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews in the last chapter!! I'm glad that this fic is keeping you guys' interest, lol. Just a warning; if you're looking for some E/C romance, then this isn't going to be the chapter for you. BUT I do promise it'll be the only chapter with no E/C interaction... I did try to make it up with some _interesting _visuals, however. Hehe... Enjoy!_

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"No visible signs of struggle, or bruising." Tara listed as she gave Horatio the preliminary results of the body that she was examining, poking lightly at the three holes in the victim's chest. "It's too early to tell, but I'd say one of these gunshots was the cause of death."

"Exit wounds?"

"Um…" Tara tugged on the dead man's arm as carefully as she could to rolled him onto his side so that she could grab a glance at his back. "Looks like all but one were a through and through."

"What about the time of death, doctor?" He enquired, looking over to the side at where his two other CSIs were currently scoping the scene for evidence.

"Well, taking into consideration the fact that he was probably out here all night and the water, I'd put it at somewhere between 8pm and midnight last night, according to liver temp." She answered, glancing up at him. The sun shone from directly behind him, causing her to squint as she did so. "I'll know more when I get him back to the morgue."

"Ok. Thank you, Dr. Price." Horatio simply replied with a nod of his head. Taking a few steps back, he allowed the M.E. the space that she would need to begin securing the victim's body in order transport it back to the morgue before turning and walking over to where the others were working. Pausing a few feet away from them, the Lieutenant removed his sunglasses from his eyes before addressing them. "Gentlemen, what have we found?"

Both men stopped what they were doing to look at their boss. Ryan, the closest to him, stood up from where he had been squatting down to photograph and collect something that he had found.

"I've got three casings. They look like a 9mm, which is consistent with gunshot wounds on the victim." He informed him before returning to the stance he had been in a moment beforehand. "Also, I've found these footprints. They're not deep enough to make a cast, but this one here is very clear."

"And what is that substance in the footprint, Mr. Wolfe?" Horatio asked him, leaning down on the other side of the image that was pressed into the ground, allowing the sunlight to filter between them and reflect off of the material that was located at the heel of the print.

"I don't know…" Ryan murmured, snapping a few more pictures before pulling out a clear sheet of sticky-back plastic to help retrieve the particles.

"Speaking of footprints," The other CSI's voice travelled to them, causing the two of them to look over at him. Eric stood near to the bank of the water; so close, in fact, that if he were to take a couple more steps backwards, he'd be in it. "There are a few more here."

"They're different." Ryan commented as they approached him, taking a quick look at the footprints. Even from the distance of standing, he could tell they weren't the same. "And these look like they're pointing inwards."

"Could be the victim's." Eric suggested with a small shrug. "He could have been standing here with his back to the water. The prints are pretty deep; probably due to some faltering as he was shot."

"That would mean that the other footprint that I found would belong to the shooter." Ryan added, facts quickly clicking together as they began to piece it together in their minds.

"That would also mean, however, that there are two bullets in the water." Horatio informed them, resting his hands on his hips after replacing his glasses back on to scan the still waters. "And perhaps even the murder weapon."

"Unless the killer took it with them." Ryan argued half-heartedly, knowing already that he was going to be spending _a lot_ more time out in the heat and humidity than he had first thought.

"If he left the casings, chances are, he left the gun too." Eric countered, tongue darting out to lick his lips as he did his best to stifle his smile at the thought of doing what he loved to do the best; diving and underwater recovery. "The water's the best place to look if we haven't found it yet."

"Then let's do that." Horatio confirmed, moving away slightly to disperse the group the three of them had formed around the foot prints. "You know what to do, Eric."

Not bothering to hide it anymore, Eric smirked as he pulled off his gloves and retrieved his phone from his pocket. There was an audible sigh from next to him as Ryan turned away to get back to where he had been processing the scene. He knew that the water wasn't the most favourite place to be for the other man, and for a reason that he put down to a lack of sufficient sleep and an early start, the sadist part of him couldn't wait to get him out there and see him try to suck it up.

...

Taking deliberate steps to ensure an even distribution between the heel and flat surface of her shoes, Calleigh made her way over to the sectioned off crime scene with a simple ease. She had learned long ago that the soft sand wasn't the best surface for high heels, and wobbling in front of her colleagues of both CSIs and police officers was not an option for her if she wanted to be taken seriously in her work.

Smiling brightly and offering a curt thank you to an officer who politely held up the tape to let her pass under, she paused briefly at the edge of the currently sealed off area to take it in.. First thoughts were always important, and as she raked her eyes over the beautiful golden sand, disturbed only by a few footsteps before glancing upwards, a feeling of dread and sadness seeped through her

The body was hanging from the edge of the pier, tied to one of the wooden posts with a common thick, white rope. He looked around middle age, and going by the smart suit that he was dressed in, she could assume that he had been some sort of businessman. With his body a good 6 feet off the ground and nothing nearby to step up onto, she was fairly sure that the suicide was in fact staged.

"Hey." Calleigh turned to her side to see her fellow partner and friend duck under the same yellow tape that she had just done only moments before and come stand next to her. "What do you think?"

"I think that the suit and the place is a giveaway for a set up." She replied, squinting slightly in the sunlight. "Have you been here long?"

"Long enough to know that it's not nearly possible for a tall man like him to squeeze under that low bar to hang himself." Natalia informed her, neither one budging from their position for a moment. "All footprints in the sand can be matched to the runner who found him, the first officer on the scene and his backup. I mean, I've already taken pictures and gotten prints from their shoes too to confirm, but I'm fairly certain that the sand was immaculate before they came along. If this is a set up, the killer knew what they were doing."

"Public place; prints around here are going to hinder us more than help us. The only other thing left is trace." Calleigh sighed. Even the cool breeze from the sea wasn't helping with the new found discovery that their killer had thought this through. "I guess we can be grateful that the victim's not too close to the tide. If anything, he'll have some evidence on him."

"True." The response came with a heavy sigh, earning herself a curious glance from the blonde next to her. "There's no way anyone is _that_ perfect. There's got to be something."

"We're just going to have to look a bit deeper and further to find it, then." She replied in a no nonsense tone that was strictly business. Turning to face in the other direction, Calleigh swept her eyes over the distance between where they stood and the footpath at the other end of the pier. A few people had gathered around, but most had been urged to keep away by the police who tried their best to keep as much of the area undisturbed as possible as they processed it. "If you were going to dump a body here, how would you do it?"

"Me, personally?" Natalia shrugged, seeming to weigh up her options as she did so. "Tie the rope to the post and then bring the body over. Probably by a car. Doubt I'd be able to carry someone this far by myself."

"I agree. Dragging someone this far out by oneself would have been too hard, but not impossible. Hmm…" Calleigh nodded before turning to look back towards where the beach led to the roadside near to where she had park her own car. "The quickest and shortest way to get here is from that footpath over there. And even that is quite far."

"Not by car it isn't." She added with a hint of hope to her tone that they were getting somewhere in the case now. "And if it were a car, then it would have had to have travelled over the footpath from the road to the beach. Which means tire tracks. Unless he cleaned them up too."

"I doubt he'd have gotten everything. Concrete's harder to erase from than sand, and think about the effort it would have taken."

"You think he missed something because it's a lot of ground to cover?" Natalia questioned, voicing her train of thoughts.

"I think he missed something because he's human." She informed her with a knowing smile, making the other woman mirror the action.

"I'll get started on that then. See if we have anything that'll tell us where this body came from." A roll of the eyes accompanied her light words. "You alright to process around the victim? I've done what I could, but a fresh set of eyes is always welcome."

"Sure. When's the M.E. getting here?" Calleigh enquired as she finally moved closer to the body, carefully surveying the ground in front of her before taking each step in hope to avoid destroying anything important.

"Tara said she was heading over right now. Maybe an hour or so." Natalia answered, following her friend with the same slow movements as she made her way over to where her kit was placed in the shade of the pier just to the side of where their victim hung. "I'd add that there's another case at the Everglades, but I think you'd already know that."

The blonde threw a modest look over her shoulder at her; the smile that graced her features could only be described as a mix of coy and sly, without adding a word to either confirm or deny the blatant insinuation that Natalia's words had carried with them.

"So, how was your weekend, then?" She asked instead, changing the subject as they approached their destination.

"Not too bad." Calleigh supplied briefly, placing down her own kit as Natalia made her way to hers on the other side of the deceased man. "Had an easy open and shut case on Saturday, and Eric was working yesterday so I managed to do some stuff I had been putting off for a while. Nothing really exciting. How about you?"

"My weekend was…" Natalia began slowly, as if she were choosing her words so not to say the wrong thing. At her pause, Calleigh glanced over at her from where she was pulling on a pair of gloves, camera ready in her hands in case she found something that the other had missed. "It was good. Really good."

"Oh, I totally forgot!" She suddenly exclaimed as the memory of a conversation that the two woman had had on the previous Friday came back to her mind. "I take it that the date went well then."

"That's one way of putting it." Natalia sighed happily, causing Calleigh to shake her head lightly in amusement at the clearly love struck girl. It were the little moments like these, where they were close friends as well as colleagues, that made her love her work so much, even at 7 in the morning. She was pretty sure that no-one else could say that the people that they worked with had become more like family than anything else like it had with her.

"I'm glad." Calleigh nodded, laughing lightly and silently. "Do we get to meet this…?"

"Aaron." She supplied quickly before shaking her head. "And no. Not soon, anyway. It's only been one date!"

"Alright. I was just curious but I guess I can wait." The blonde insisted cheerfully before raising the camera up and taking a snap at the victim's leg. "Look what I found." She said as she picked up the evidence from the trouser leg with a pair of tweezers to show the other CSI.

"Hair. Blonde." Natalia commented before glancing up at the top of the dead body. "Victim's got dark hair."

"First step to getting something."

"Sure is." She replied, watching as it was tucked away into a little evidence envelope. Snapping herself out of it, Natalia turned back around and grabbed what she had originally came for; her kit. "I'll get started on the footpath. See if I can find where our killer might have came from to dump the body."

"Alright. Let me know if you find anything." Calleigh replied as she averted her gaze to the nearby area surrounding both her and body to see if she could find anything useful. The shadow cast by the pier began to play tricks on her eyes as she changed focus between the light and the dark. Finding trace in a massive pit of tiny sand particles was nearly impossible, but it was her job and it wasn't gong to deter her. She had done things in the past that were much more difficult, and done it successfully.

...

It was close 9am by the time that they were on the boat and on the water. As he finished getting changed into his diving gear, Eric pushed away the thought that if he hadn't been on call, he would have just been starting his work day. However, with the boat coming to a still in the middle of the water, he realised that the extra couple of hours stolen from his sleep was going to be made up with the fact that he would be in the said water within a few minutes. He knew that it shouldn't get him too happy; he only had to do his job when someone had lost their life. The only consolation was that a skill that he was good at, and loved to do, would help bring justice, and _that_ he could certainly be happy about.

"Alright. So, from the rough trajectory of the bullets and the possible areas the gun could have been thrown, this is the best place to begin our search." Ryan explained dejectedly as Eric stepped up next to him to see the space he was pointing at. "Good luck."

"I think you're the one who's going to be needing the luck." Eric laughed in response, earning himself a small glare as the other man crossed his arms as he often did when annoyed. "I'll try and be as quick as I can to get you off the water."

"Just don't miss anything. It's a big search area and bullets are small." He replied, brushing off the teasing as he unbuttoned the cuffs to his shirt and pushed up his sleeves. The jacket had already been tossed aside only a few minutes onto the scene, and with the sun getting higher up in the sky, the temperature was rising rapidly.

"Which is why I'm the one who's going under, being the underwater recovery specialist, and you're not." Eric joked as he prepared to ascend into the water.

"Yeah, yeah." Ryan merely rebuked. "Mind the 'gators. Wouldn't want you getting hurt."

"Is that _concern _I detect there?" He asked in mock scepticism, raising an eyebrow at his partner.

"No." The work was spoken with such seriousness, that if Eric hadn't known him better, he'd have taken it at face value. "I'd rather not have to clean up the mess if you contaminate anything."

"Sure, sure." He laughed and shook his head before finally making his way into the cool water of the Everglades. Fixing his mouth piece in place and making sure that it would hold, Eric submerged underneath. With the help of the sunlight filtering through, his eyes adjusted immediately, enabling him to get started with what he had been tasked to do.

...

Natalia sighed as she rubbed her forehead with the back of her wrist. She had been examining the footpath that ran parallel to the beach for over the past hour, and she had yet to find anything relevant to the murder. There were not tire tracks anywhere nearby, and as time went by, she began to doubt her theory of there being a car that had driven onto the beach in the first place.

Inching forwards towards where the boardwalk that stemmed out into the pier that was currently their crime scene only a mere 10 feet away, she paused. Squinting, Natalia leaned down to see if what she had captured her eye was really what she thought it was. A small smile pulled at her lips when she realised that she was, and brought the camera in her hands up to snap some pictures.

Tilting her head to the left, towards the beach, Natalia tried to follow the few, sparse, blood drop trail as well as she could. It didn't go far; ending a little bit before the small brick wall that boarded off the junction between the sand and the path to stop any vehicles onto the beach. Following the trail in the other direction, she stood up straight and walked along side of it until it stopped with a singular drop by a car park space.

Glad that there was something backing up her theory, she began to take pictures of the evidence before swabbing a sample to be taken back to the lab. If it matched the victim, then there would have been no doubt that he had been dragged out from a car and to where he had been tragically hung from. The only thing that played on Natalia's mind was that the trail had seemingly ended suddenly on the footpath.

The sound of an approaching car made her head snap up, ready to stop anyone who was entering their crime scene. It took a few seconds to realise that the car was in fact quite far away, and one of their own. Offering a single wave of the hand to the doctor who stepped out of her Hummer, Natalia began to pack up her kit before making her way back to where the body was.

She followed the blood trail once again, this time pausing and searching with careful eyes at the gold that was the sand in front of her. She knew it was too much to hope for a continuation of the trail on the beach, especially with the killer already having made to have erased all traces of their footprints. But with a rough path to follow from the car park to the victim, Natalia was able to say for certain when she found no blood or even a smidgen of a footprint that whoever it was that had carried the body so far did a good job.

"Now this is something new." Tara greeted her with as she ducked under the police tape once again.

"First hanging?" Natalia questioned.

"Yep." The doctor replied, looking over at her from the body before averting her gaze further up to the pier itself. "Is he ready to be brought down yet?"

"Ready when you are." A voice, distinct due to the Southern accent it carried, replied from where she was processing the scene on the pier.

"Alright." Tara nodded at the officers who were nearby, all ready to help the M.E. and her assistant to carefully bring down the body. "Let's get him down, boys."

With 4 men waiting at the bottom, all having some sort of gentle grip on the body, Natalia nodded to Calleigh that they were ready for her to undo the rope. As the strain was taken off the material used to keep him hanging, the blonde made quick work of the knot that made sure the rope wouldn't slip off anytime soon and allowed for the victim to be laid down onto the ground below for the M.E. to examine.

"Well, I can definitely tell you that his man was dead before he was hung." Tara stated dryly as she tilted his head up and then side to side. "I'll have to do an X-ray to be sure, but he doesn't seem to have a broken neck. And no rope burn."

"I guess we can definitely rule out suicide then." Natalia replied, glad that the evidence was continuing to follow their theory.

"I don't see any defensive injuries. They might be hidden by the clothes though." She carried on, continuing on the body as she stuck a thermometer into the victim's abdomen. Waiting in silence for a minute, it wasn't until Calleigh had joined them once again that Tara spoke up. "Liver temp puts time of death at around 7 last night."

"I doubt he was hung up here soon after that. It would have been too busy." Natalia said in an exasperated tone.

"I've spoken to some people, and from what Frank's gathered, no-one saw anything. I'd say he was hung up a few hours later." Calleigh agreed before turning to her fellow CSI. "Did you mange to find anything?"

"Yeah. Actually, it's kind of weird." She explained. "There's a blood trail, spread out and short, but it seems to end suddenly in the middle of nowhere."

"Do you know where it came from?"

"I'd say a car. The trail starts from the side of a car space." Natalia filled her in. "How about you? Find anything?"

"Nothing useful. I found a speck of blood on the post up there." Calleigh nodded towards where the man had been hanging not 5 minutes earlier. "But it's minimal."

"We can check it out anyway." The other woman shrugged. "You never know; sometimes it's the smallest things that gives us the biggest breaks."


	3. Chapter Three

_A/N: Sorry for the wait. Real life just got in the way... Don't you hate it when that happens? Anyway, there's a bit of E/C in here. I hope you all enjoy =D_

* * *

"H!" Eric called out as he stepped out of the elevator and onto the crime lab floor. His boss, only a few feet away, turned at his voice and waited for him to approach him.

"What have you got for me, Eric?" He asked him, eyeing the small, clear evidence bag in his hand that held a swab case in it and the manila folder with it.

"I just got up from autopsy. The water must have washed away most of the evidence, but," Pausing, he shook the bag in his hands briefly to indicate it. "Tara did find some kind of clear substance on the victim's hand. I'm about to head to trace and give it in."

"Have we got an ID of our victim yet?" Horatio prompted, walking with the younger man as they approached the required labs.

"Just a name." Eric replied, turning to the folder. "Daniel Sullivan. Ryan's running the name through the database to see if we can get anymore information about him."

"And the weapon?"

"Still a no show." He sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly. It was well past 3 in the afternoon now, making it over 8 hours since he had woken up. Included in that time was a 4 hour session in the murky waters of the Everglades, a job he really did love until it left him frustrated. "But Ryan's gotten the two bullets from the water, and the third from the body, down to ballistics and I'm about to go process the shoes."

"Ok." Horatio commented, knowing full well that any thing that could be seen as evidence needed to be examined closely right then, including the pair of sneakers that Eric had managed to find in the Everglades. Although many people did tend to throw the oddest things into the water, the fact that these looked pretty new and expensive had brought suspicion onto them. "That's good work, Eric. Let me know what you find."

"Will do, H."

...

"Hey, Maxine. Have you managed to get anything on the blood sample yet?" Calleigh asked as she breezed through the glass doors, coming to a stop besides the DNA analyst's work stations to hope to learn more about her victim from the blood that they had collected from the car park.

"The one from Natalia?" She asked to make sure; carried on when the blonde woman nodded her confirmation. "Yeah, I'm just running it through the system right now."

"Thanks."

"I have something else for you, too." Valera added as Calleigh raised an eyebrow in interest, taking the print out that as handed to her. "There was saliva mixed in with the blood."

"Victim's own." She concluded while nodding. "Makes sense. Tara did say there was bruising around his jaw. He must have been beaten, or at least punched, before being strangled."

"Why would you hit someone if you're just going to strangle them to death anyway?"

"I dunno, actually." Calleigh shrugged, remembering the same question popping into her own head when she had gotten the autopsy results from the medical examiner. "He didn't have any defensive marks on him, so I doubt it was a fight."

"Maybe the killer found it easier to strangle him if he was out of it?" She suggested, hoping to help out. "If I had to strangle someone, I don't think I'd want to look into their eyes and have them fight back as I did so."

"I'll keep that in mind in case you ever do so." The CSI laughed, making the analyst turn away from her as she fought a small tint of pink from colouring her cheeks.

"So…" Valera began, keeping her eyes trained onto the computer in front of her even as her mouth kicked up into a smirk. "Did you hear about Nat's date this weekend?"

"Yes, I did." Calleigh replied, her own lips curling into a smile as she recalled the conversation the two of them had had on their way back from the crime scene. "Sounded like a good one."

"_He_ sounds like a good one." Valera commented, shooting Calleigh a sly look that caused her to laugh lightly. "The only down side is that he's a lawyer."

"What's wrong with that?" She questioned, making the analyst twist and face her with a thoughtful look.

"I don't know. I've just never found a good reason to date a lawyer. I mean, they're paid to lie most of the time." She shrugged before sighing. "Although, at least he's not a defence lawyer. Now _that_ would have been a conflict of interest."

"Even if he was, they could probably make it work. A job is just a job, when you think about it." Calleigh said softly, trying to wean them off of the subject of her friend's personal life. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for Natalia, but talking about someone else's private things without them there always made her feel bad. "Anyway, as long as she's happy, it's all good."

"What's all good?" A male voice interrupted their conversation, making the other two both look over at the entrance to the lab.

"We were just talking about Natalia's new boyfriend." Valera explained nonchalantly as Ryan came to a stop next to Calleigh.

"Oh, the lawyer?" He queried, earning himself a nod from the lab tech and a quiet roll of the eyes from the CSI next to him. She knew that gossip was the main start up for a conversation in the crime labs, and with the close friendship between them and the CSIs, it didn't take long for the information to spread further. Of course, just hearing that the detail had reached Ryan, who she assumed hadn't been told himself by Natalia, begged her to wonder how much the technicians did talk. And even worse; if they were this actively talking about the new relationship, Calleigh shuddered to think what they must say about her and Eric. "Alright. Have you gotten anything on Daniel Sullivan yet?"

"Sorry, not yet." Valera apologized, turning back to her computer to see if any new information had popped out.

"How is it possible for a man, in this day and age, to not have a driver's licence or any form of a police record?" Ryan grumbled and adding a groan as he leant heavily against the table in front of him.

"I don't have a police record." Valera argued with a subtle tone of pride to her voice that was only emphasised by the smile touching her lips lightly.

"Neither do I." Calleigh added with her ever cheerful mood softening her words.

"Yeah, but you both have licences. And Calleigh, if you weren't a cop, you'd have a record. You drive like a crazy person." Ryan commented matter-of-factly, turning to the blonde in time to see her mouth drop slightly in shock even as the smile never left her face.

"I do not!" She scoffed before clearing her throat and changing the subject back onto their work. "Anyway, have you tried medical records?"

"Nothing." He shook his head, slipping back into professionalism as quickly as he had slipped out of it.

"Maybe he was from out of state." Calleigh supplied.

"I'm going to look for that now." Valera spoke up once again, having followed their conversation but stayed quiet as they discussed a case. The other two nodded at her as she turned back to her computer to widen the search parameters.

"How do you know his name if you don't know anything else?" Calleigh asked him, tilting her head slightly to the side with her words.

"He had his name sewed into his suit. Designer suit, might I add." Ryan replied; fake awe lining his words as a smirk shone on his face.

"If he's rich, then there must be someone missing him." Valera interrupted. She paused as the other two looked over at her, correctly getting the sign to carry on. "I'm just saying. He must have had a job or a family or even a few friends from a country club or something."

"That's a good theory actually." His tone was borderline on intrigued and excitement, tapping the desk in front of him with his fingers before pushing himself away. "I might search the local country clubs, and see if his name pops up. Thanks."

"Anytime." She called out after him when he left the room in a small hurry. Exchanging an amused look with the other lady in her lab, neither one got to say a word on it before the computer beeped to indicate a new found result. "Looks like you're luckier than Ryan today. We've got a match."

"Edward Jones." Calleigh read off the screen as she rounded the desk to get a better look at the screen.

"He's in the system because of a shop lifting incident as a minor?" Valera questioned with scepticism.

"It's a permanent file." She shrugged in explanation. "And we have an address. Could be the primary crime scene. Thanks, Maxine."

"No problems." She said, words sounding genuine even as her tired stance made her seem sarcastic. "Just doing my job."

"And I don't know what we'd do without you!" Calleigh joked, catching the DNA analyst's laughter as she made her way out of the lab and back to the job at hand; finding the killer of Edward Jones.

...

Eric wasn't sure how long it had been since he had started going over the shoes that he had found in the Everglades. They were off white, most probably due to their stay in the water, pretty simple and a common type of sneakers, which had made trying to find the owners from purchase records a lost cause. Instead, he was forced to do what was normally a routine part of his job; scour every inch of it with the closest eye for the detail that he could get.

Unfortunately for him though, as they were fished out of the waters earlier that afternoon, there was a lot less chance of finding what he needed. He had already swabbed the sole and the inside of the shoe; hoping for some residue of sweat that could possibly give them a hit. He had also made an impression of the bottom of the shoe in case it matched any of the shoeprints that they had found at the scene of the crime. So far, however, he had heard nothing.

Heaving a sigh, Eric straightened up to release the tension from his back after having leant over the light box table for the past hour and a half, or so that was what his watch said. Unless they got a lead to follow anytime soon, another hour and he would be free to go home. It was a thought that both made him want to get back to work, in hope to pass the time quicker, and not, in hope that he wouldn't find anything to give them a reason to stay longer.

The thought had him frowning almost as soon as it had passed through his head. If they found a lead, Eric knew that he wouldn't be moaning, even if it meant another few hours work. Getting closer to finding out who had killed poor Daniel Sullivan was much more important than him getting to relax, especially when they didn't know if the killer might have the intention to kill someone else.

With that in mind, he went back to examining the articles in front of him once again. He had just pulled over the magnifier and light to possibly look for something that was not visible to the human eye when he heard the familiar clacking sounds of heels against the lab's tiled floor. It was getting closer to where he was, and it was only a few seconds later that the door to the room he was in opened.

"Hey. You look like you're having fun." A soft, accented voice teased him.

"Immense fun." Eric replied sarcastically, looking over to her briefly to see her leaning against the door jamb with her bright smile in place. "'Sup?"

"You haven't seen Natalia anywhere lately by any chance, have you?" Calleigh asked him. Although her tone had dropped to a more professional one as they talked about work, there was an undeniable undertone of sweetness that made him have to get a grip of himself before he did something against the rules of the department.

"Why? Have you misplaced her?" He joked. Although he had turned back to his work, he was pretty sure that she could still see, or least hear, the smirk on his face. Not waiting for her to reply, with something that would no doubt have been smart and witty, he carried on, this time with earnest. "Have you rang her cell?"

"Now, why didn't I think of that?" She remarked. The dry tone made him glance up at her, finally noticing the phone in her hand. "I can't seem to get a hold of her on her cell."

"It is ringing out or busy?" Eric asked, concern tinting his words as he stood up straight and turned to face her. With the job that they had, cell phones became something of a must to them. If it wasn't on them, then it would never be too far away. At least not for long.

"Busy." Calleigh assured him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. A CSI's cell phone ringing out for as long as Natalia's had would have sent her into a state of worry already.

"Oh. Well…" He began, watching as the blonde pressed the redial button on her phone before bringing it up to her ear. The smirk was back onto his face as he turned back to his work. "Three guesses why."

"Does the whole lab really know about that?" She questioned him incredulously. The volume of her voice had dropped as if she was discussing something that wasn't deemed suitable for work or for others to hear., even if it did seem they all knew already.

"Of course. Why wouldn't they?" Eric chuckled. Calleigh sighed audibly as she hung up once again and decided to simply leave Natalia be for then.

"I just thought…" She trailed off with a small shrugged, pocketing her cell phone and crossing her arms loosely.

"Just thought that in a close environment like ours, filled with CSIs and analysts, with glass walls that allows everyone to see everything, there'd be a thing called privacy?" He carried on her sentence, finishing it off in a way that made her stand up straighter in the doorway as his words penetrated into her mind. There was a smile threatening to break through at the sight of his boyish grin that he was keeping well hidden in the pretence of examining the evidence that was in his hands.

"Yes." She merely replied.

"I _know _you're not that naïve, Cal." Eric teased, averting his eyes up to her just in time to see her roll her eyes and shake her head lightly. "Trust me, there are probably at least two pairs of eyes on us right now waiting for something else to talk about."

"Well, I guess I better get going then." Calleigh retorted, pushing herself off of the door jamb and using a hand to keep the door open instead.

"That wasn't a hint to go, you know."

"I still have a job to do, Eric." She insisted. In fact, she was surprised herself, and she knew that the man in front of her was too, that she had stayed around to chat for longer than had been necessary. "Could you let Natalia know that I was looking for her if you see her?"

"Sure. Anything I can help with?" He asked, resting his forearms on the table as he leant against it and looked up at her, glad for the small break.

"Just a follow up. Never mind. I'll take Tripp." Calleigh brushed off with a wave of the hand, her tone cheerful as ever. "Thanks."

"Hey! Don't forget about-" He began to call after her as she turned to leave.

"I haven't and I won't." She quickly cut him off with a laugh. "Don't worry. I'll see you later."

"Bye." Eric replied, turning all of his attention back to the job at hand as her footsteps retreated away and the door closed with a soft click.

Inhaling deeply, he urged himself to focus on the items in front of him. He could feel a headache coming on, knowing that the cause of it was both because of staring at the same things for the past hour and because of the light behind it. However, just as he thought about taking a break and attempt to find something else to examine, his eyes caught something that he was pretty sure shouldn't be there.

Tilting the shoe underneath the magnifying glass, Eric sighed with relief as he saw the dark red drops stand out against the white. It was on the side of the shoe, where the sole of the shoe met the top. The fact that it was in the crease of the joint gave reason to believe why it had survived being submerged in the Everglades for hours.

Grabbing a few swabs, he took a sample of each drop after making sure to capture them on film. There were only 3, but it was better than none. A smile kicked up on his lips as he took the final one; labelling them all correctly and making sure they were ready to be transported to DNA as soon as he was done.

The frustration from earlier was now gone and a weight had seemingly been lifted off his shoulder. He knew that fresh eyes was usually the best way to find new evidence on something that had been searched over more than a few times, but for him, it seemed as if simply having a light conversation and bantering with Calleigh had worked just as well. He stashed that piece of information in a place at the back of his mind, along with the thought to repay her if what he had found gave them any leads.


	4. Chapter Four

_A/N: Sooo sorry for the delayed update! Real life got in the way and got way too hectic. I hope you guys are still with me on this one. Please R&R!_

* * *

"This place is supposed to be his home?" Frank Tripp asked as he stood in the middle of the front room. They had ended up at Edward Jones' loft, near to downtown Miami. "Looks like he brought his work home. He wasn't married, was he?"

"I don't think so." Calleigh replied as she surveyed the place, returning back into the main room from her tour of the place. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if he spent most of his time at home working. There's almost nothing personal around here at all. Wardrobe's full of suits, bathroom has the bare minimum and the kitchen is almost CSI clean."

"So, he was a workaholic?" Tripp questioned dryly, resting his hands on his waist as he did so.

"From what I've found," She began, shifting through a few letters that were neatly organised on the desk by the window. "I'd say that if we want to know more about our victim, we need to go to the heart of his passion."

"His work place?"

"His company." Calleigh corrected, holding up a letterhead that was headed with a company logo and signed already with the victim's name. "'Edward Jones, Director.'"

"Do we have an address?" He sighed heavily, watching as the CSI bagged a few items that may become useful in the future if they needed it.

"Yep." She handed him a bagged letter that was clearly addressed to their victim.

"It's not far from here." Tripp stated, turning the letter over and back again. "'Sophomore Techs.?'"

"I'm guessing a technical company of some kind." She said lightly, snapping off her gloves and packing up her kit. "I'll call Natalia and see if she can clue us in on what to expect at 'Sophomore Techs."

"I just hope they're not really sophomores." He grumbled as they left the victim's loft and made their way down to the Hummer that they had arrived in. "That's the last thing I need; a load of college kids."

Calleigh had to laugh at his words, knowing that despite the disgusted tone, he knew as well as she did that the chances of there being any college students was pretty low. In all honesty, she was glad that was true. It was never nice when a young person got themselves on the wrong side of the law, especially when they were lucky enough to have a whole future in front of them.

Climbing into the passenger's seat of the MDPD issued car, she waited until they were moving again before digging her cell phone out and dialling Natalia's number. Leaning an elbow against the window pane, Calleigh rested her head against her hand as a familiar voice greeted her only seconds later.

"_Boa Vista." _She answered, clearly not having seen the caller ID before she had.

"Hey, Natalia. I need-"

"_Calleigh! I'm so sorry about earlier." _She cut her off, guilt colouring her words as they sped out. Calleigh could hear her take a breath to calm herself before carrying on_. "I took a late lunch break and I was on the phone-"_

"It's alright, Nat. I understand." This time, Calleigh interrupted her, laughing lightly as she did so. "Don't worry about it."

"_Still, I'm sorry." _Natalia repeated before letting out a small sigh that could only be described as relieved. _"Anyways, what can I do for you?"_

"I was hoping you could possibly run a quick background check on a company. 'Sophomore Techs.'." She informed her, slipping back into work mode. Glancing briefly out of the windshield, Calleigh wasn't too surprised to see many people littering the footpaths and the beach down below to her right as they sped past. "It's where our victim worked and owned."

"_He was a company owner?" _Natalia asked in shock. _"Wow. Explains the smart clothes."_

"Might also give us a motive."

"_Ok, I'm searching it." _She told her briefly. _"Oh, I also got something else from Tara. Apparently, there was some post-mortem bruising on the victim's legs. It looks like he was tied up by something, or was held rather tightly."_

"Held tightly?" Calleigh repeated, sitting up straighter as she thought back to the scene that morning. "Like if someone had held him around his legs to keep him straight while hanging him up?"

"_Could be." _Natalia murmured, considering the words. _"But how could someone have a grip around our victim's legs, _and _be able to tie him up a good 6 feet off the ground?"_

"The same way they got the body from the car park to the pier." She explained, piecing together small facts that she could draw on. "With the help of someone else."

"_So we're looking for two people, not one?"_

"That's what it seems like." Calleigh exhaled. Finding two people was a lot harder than just the one, especially when they had no primary crime scene to go on at that moment. "We'll have to see what the evidence says first."

"_I'll see if I can find anything to fit that theory with that we have so far."_ Natalia said hurriedly as she went back to the original reason why they were on the phone. _"Alright, 'Sophomore Techs.'. Looks like a pretty legit company. Started in 2000 by Edward Jones and his college roommate, hence the name 'Sophomore Techs. They do computer engineering and programming. Business seems to be doing well."_

"A good business always opens the door to enemies. Who was the roommate?"

"_A Tony Mathers." _Natalia responded, carrying on before Calleigh could get another word in. _"And before you ask, he can't possibly be a suspect. He died 2 years ago. Plane crash in Michigan."_

"You know me too well." Calleigh laughed. "Ok, we're almost here now, so I'll have to see you back at the lab. Thanks, Natalia."

"_I'll let you know if I find anything else." _The other CSI told her before they hung up as the car came to a stop in the car park of the company building.

"Place doesn't look too busy." Tripp commented as they stepped out of the Hummer and made their way to the main entrance.

"It's past 5. Everyone's probably left or leaving." Calleigh concluded, blinking a couple of times as her eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness that being indoors brought.

Making their way to the reception counter, it took only a small exchange of words and a glimpse of their badges before they were heading up to the top floor of the tall building and to the offices of the victim's and the assistant director's. The elevator ride wasn't long, but there was an obvious tension in the air as the leggy brunette receptionist stood in front and centre of them as an escort.

With a quiet _ping_, the doors opened and they were able to step out onto the floor. The receptionist guided then without another word; going past an empty desk and to the end of the corridor where there was a large frosted glass door, currently shut. Sarah, the receptionist, knocked on the door twice before twisting the door handle and opening the door for them.

"Thank you." Calleigh said politely whilst Tripp simply nodded his thanks.

The first impression that Calleigh got from the huge office in front of her was that it was very modern. There was a whole wall that was made up from a single piece of glass; giving them all a beautiful view of downtown Miami and then some. Comfortable leather couches lined a corner with a few others scattered around in a neat co-ordination that retained the professional look. The desk right in front of her, parallel to the window wall, was filled with papers and both a laptop and a computer. There was nothing but work on it; that much she could see from standing where she was.

"Officers. What can I do to help you?" A man's voice appeared from their left. As they turned towards it, Calleigh finally noticed the door in the wall that led to another room, most likely another office. "I assume you are hear about Edward, right?"

"Yeah. How would you know that?" Tripp asked suspiciously, eyeing the man carefully. He was dressed smartly; dark suit that looked equally expensive as his shoes, shirt and tie. There wasn't a hint of a tan on him, but with the sun-kissed blonde hair that was undoubtedly styled every morning to perfection, Calleigh guessed that he was simply a man who didn't tan easily.

"I had someone call in." He replied, words slowing down as confusion intertwined with his words. "He's been missing since this morning."

"We haven't had a call." Calleigh informed him, watching as surprise shone clear on his face.

"Then why _are_ you here?"

"We found Edward Jones' body this morning." Tripp answered him.

"Oh, my." The other man gasped, eyes widening for a moment before he pulled his composure back together again. Clearing his throat, he loosening his tie slightly before speaking once again. "Where? How?"

"On the beach a few miles from here. And we're not sure yet on the how." Calleigh said this time, lying with the latter while watching him closely. "I'm sorry, Mr…"

"Carter. John Carter. I'm the assistant director of Edward's company. I have been so since the beginning." He informed them offhandedly. "I can't believe it. He was just here yesterday, talking about the future of the business."

"When did you have someone call in his disappearance?" Frank asked him, changing the course of the conversation back onto what they needed.

"Um… About noon time." John shrugged with a single shoulder. "It wasn't unusual for him to take some time in the mornings to sort a few things out, out of the office. His driver came to me and said he hadn't had a call to pick him up, and that's when we started to get worried."

"Do you know what he was doing last night?" Calleigh questioned him softly, eyes raking around the room with subtlety to try and find anything out of place. "Where he was? Who he might have been with?"

"No. I honestly have no idea." John shook his head before freezing as if a sudden thought had just struck him. "But his diary would have everything in it."

"Is it here?"

"Yes. He had two copies." He explained, making his way over to the desk as she followed him. "Ever since he had to lay off Rachel, his PA, he's had to make sure he remembered everything himself. Kept one copy at the office and the other on him at all times. If there was something he had to do, or someone to see, it'll be in there."

"Could you tell me where it is? We're still in the middle of an investigation-" Calleigh began, pulling a glove on one hand as she did so.

"Right, right, of course. Wouldn't want to compromise evidence and whatnot." He replied hastily with a small smile, pointing to the top drawer of the desk. He earned himself a curious glare from the officer who still stood in the middle of the room. "I've read it in many articles online or in the papers, about jeopardising cases…"

"Is this it?" Calleigh asked, turning his attention back to her as she pulled out a maroon, suede bound book.

"That's the one." He assured her. "It'll have everything that you need to know about his schedule yesterday, and even today."

"Thanks." She nodded, placing it down onto the desk before opening it up. Vaguely, she could hear Tripp asking the assistant director more questions, footsteps resounding away from her and towards the middle of the room. Knowing that the detective could handle and question Carter himself, Calleigh flicked through the pages of the diary until she reached the current date.

There were a few pencilled memos, along with a couple of appointments written in a blue ink pen. Lifting her eyes up, it didn't take more than two seconds to see the pen that she guessed the victim had used to write in the book. Quickly letting her eyes gaze around the desk, Calleigh wasn't sure if she was surprised or not to see that it was as bare of personal effects as his home had been.

Turning back to the diary, Calleigh flipped back a page to get to the previous day. The schedule didn't seem too different; a few pencilled in memos with another couple of appointments. However, this times, there was something that popped out. A familiar name had been written down in blue in the 1pm section, followed by the name of a posh local restaurant that she knew was popular with businessmen, a business name and a number.

"Excuse me, Mr. Carter?" Calleigh interrupted them, standing up straighter as she did so. "Do you know a Daniel Sullivan?"

"Yes. Edward had lunch with him just yesterday." He confirmed for her. "Danny was a good friend of his. They had been discussing a merger of their businesses for the better part of the year now."

"Ok." She merely replied. "We're going to have to take this with us."

"Sure, anything you need. We're more than happy to cooperate."

"Well, in that case," Tripp started with a gruffness to his voice. "I'd like to have a word with the driver."

"Of course. I'll go and call him. Excuse me a moment." With that, he turned around and headed back to his own office. This time, however, he left the door open, allowing them to hear the low, inaudible murmur of his side of the conversation.

"Who's Daniel Sullivan?" Tripp asked Calleigh as soon as the other man was out of earshot.

"He's the guy that Ryan's been trying to find information about." She informed him, only to receive a raised eyebrow in response. "He was found in the Everglades this morning."

"He owns a business too, right? How could they not have found information about him?"

"I really don't know." Calleigh answered honestly, knowing that it sounded as weird as it seemed to the older man. "But at least now they have a business name and number to go by. I'm going to let him know, see if it'll help their case."

"You better let Horatio know too. We might be looking at a double homicide now." Tripp told her as she began to turn away, a smile curving on her lips that told him that she had already thought of that. "I highly doubt these two are coincidental."

"Me either, Frank."

...

Eric walked hurriedly through the semi-busy corridors of the crime lab, quickening his pace when the DNA lab came into view. He had received a page from Valera only a minute or so earlier, and with also nothing else to go on, he had replaced the pictures of the crime scene back into the folder again before making his way over.

"Please tell me you have something I can use." He almost begged the short haired lady.

"Hello to you, too." She replied dryly, reaching out for a print out and practically shoving it at him. "Here. I got you a match from the drop on the sneakers."

"To the victim." Eric deducted from the comparison that the page showed him.

"Something you can use?" Valera mimicked sarcastically, turning to face him and crossing her arms loosely, resting her hip against the counter that she had been working on.

"Yes. Thank you." He chuckled while tapping the paper against the palm of his other hand. "So the owner of these shoes had been standing opposite to where the victim had been shot, and now that we've found the blood on the shoes-"

"Making him the killer." The analyst finished off for him, her mood coming back to her normal chirpy self. "I did good."

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves." Eric warned her jokingly. "Thanks for these-"

"Hold on. There's a bit more." Valera cut him off as he began to turn away. Picking up another piece of paper, this time an official evidence sheet with a sticky note attached of her own handwriting, she handed it to him. "One of the samples you sent me wasn't blood."

"You sure?" He asked, eyebrows scrunching up in confusion while alternating between reading the paper in his hand and her.

"Considering I work in a DNA lab, Delko, I'm pretty sure I know when I find something _without _any DNA." She informed him with a huff.

"Right. Sorry." Eric apologized, taking a wary step back from her. "So, what was it?"

"I don't know. Like I said; it wasn't my area of expertise." Valera told him slowly, going back to her work as she did so just as she heard the familiar ringing of a cell phone.

"Where is it now?" He asked, taking out his phone and flipping it open.

"I sent it down to trace for you already, because I knew you guys needed something, and soon." She filled him in, rolling her eyes as he simply flashed her a smile and a nod after answering his phone. "You're welcome, by the way." Valera called as he made it past the threshold of the lab.

"Thanks, Maxine." Eric's laughing voice floated back to her as he began to make his way down to where Travers was no doubt analyzing his evidence. Going slowly this time, he turned his attention back to the call that he had already picked up. "Sorry. You were saying…?"

"_I was saying _that _I'm beginning to think that people are ignoring my calls."_ Calleigh said. Although her voice was serious with the sense of professionalism, the hint of wry was clear to him after having known her for so long. _"Where's Ryan?"_

"Um… The last time I checked, he was heading down to see Tara." Eric informed her amusingly as he urged himself not to laugh at her tone. "He probably lost reception on his cell or something."

"_Yeah, maybe." _She muttered, her words covered by the sound of paper rustling.

"Why did you want Ryan, anyway?" He asked her curiously, slowing down his pace when he realised that he was getting too close to the trace lab.

"_I might have a lead for your case." _Calleigh told him. Even though he knew that she couldn't see him over the phone, his eyebrows shot up as shock hit him and passed within a split second. _"Daniel Sullivan, right?"_

"Yeah. What do you have?"

"_He owned a small business. I have the name and number. Him and _our _victim, Edward Jones, had lunch just yesterday." _She explained to him. _"It also links the two cases together."_

"You thinking a double?" He sighed, rubbing his forehead with his thumb.

"_I'm thinking that we need to find out some more about the victims first." _Calleigh emphasised, and Eric knew that, although rare, there were sometimes such things as a coincidence. In a county like Miami-Dade, with the many businesses, there was a chance that these two in particular were the only connection between the cases. As the scientists that they were, the only conclusions that they could make would have to be based on hard evidence if they wanted it to stand up in court.

"Alright. I'll let the others know." He replied slowly, resting a hand on the door that led into the room that he had been intending on entering. "Send me the info and we'll get started on a background check. See if anything pops up that might suggest a link with yours."

"_Tell Natalia. She might be able to point you in the right direction." _She instructed him, making him smirk at the order that she had masked as a suggestion. It was a small part of the whole that made her Horatio's second in command.

"You got it." Eric answered, knowing that she was right. "Anything else?"

"_Nope. We'll be back soon, hopefully with something more to go on." _Calleigh said, and he could hear her inhale deeply over the phone. _"I've got a feeling this is going to be a long one. For the both of us."_

"Me, too." He agreed, resisting the urge to sigh himself before a certain thought flittered through his mind. "I guess this means the bet's off then."

"_Why would you say that for?" _She asked him, exaggerated confusion playfully colouring her words.

"Well, if we end up working together on this, then it's kind of irrelevant." Eric expanded. He finally entered the trace lab after hovering outside for a while, realising that it would probably look very odd to anyone who was watching him.

"'If' _being the key word. Let's see what we have first." _Calleigh repeated, laughing gently as a low flirty tone took over her words. _"You're not getting out of it that easily."_

"Ok, ok." He laughed and shook his head before remembering that they were both still at work, and on the phone in public places. "I'll see you when you get back then."

"_See you then." _

Hanging up after hearing the dial tone in his ear instead of Calleigh's voice, Eric kept a hold of his cell and approached where Travers was bent over his workstation. He didn't get closer than 4 feet before he spotted the smile that was playing on the other man's lips, and as he looked up at him, it was clear as to why he was looking so amused.

"What?" Eric asked him, hoping his voice sounded more casual than defendant like he suspected it did.

"What? I didn't say a thing." The British man replied earnestly, stifling his smile as Eric merely continued staring that made him finally buckle under the heaviness of it. "I'm, uh… I'm not _quite _done with the sample yet. It won't take long, though, so you're welcome to stay."

"Alright." He simply replied, resisting the urge to roll his eyes and let the other man know to mind his own business. Turning around and perching on the edge of one of the stools, Eric turned back to his cell phone that was in his hand and pressed the speed dial number that would get him Horatio. It wouldn't take long for him to relay the information to him, and then to Ryan, and then Natalia. Sighing as he brought the phone up to his ear, he couldn't help but to agree even more with that Calleigh had said. The day, and the case, was _definitely_ going to be a long one.


	5. Chapter Five

Calleigh suppressed a yawn for the third time in as many minutes as she carried on watching the sped up version of a CCTV tape. It was from Sophomore Techs, taken as evidence to provide an alibi for both the assistant director and the driver. So far, they had watched the entire tape once, and were now double checking to make sure that it fit in with the timeline correctly.

"I think they were telling the truth." Natalia spoke up from next to her. It was only the two of them, and the A/V technician, Dave. The rest of the team had headed home after learning that there wasn't much that they could do at 9pm on the case of Daniel Sullivan.

After returning back to the lab, the first thing that Calleigh had done was to get the surveillance tape to A/V so that it could be verified as soon as possible. She had then headed straight to the trace lab where she had spotted everyone else. In the time that it had taken her to call Eric and get there herself, Calleigh was grateful to find that they had already started to put together the cases. Even though the only link so far was the lunch, no-one had ruled out the possibility of a double homicide.

However, unluckily for her and her fellow female CSI, Horatio had told them to carry on treating each case as separate until they got more information. With the only additional evidence for the Sullivan case being the identification of the miscellaneous trace from the shoes that Eric had found at the bottom of the Everglades as red wine, and finding out that the substance on the back of the victim's hand that Tara had found had been sun block lotion, there had been nothing else for them to do. The address that Calleigh and Frank had managed to get wasn't too far, but at the time that it was, Horatio had found it best to be left until the following day, which had allowed both Ryan and Eric to finish up for the day.

Glancing at her watch, Calleigh was surprised to see that it had only been 30 minutes since they had been in the meeting. She pushed herself away from the counter that she had been leaning against to get closer to the screen that was currently projecting their video. It showed their only two suspects, John Carter and Jones' driver Paul Sanchez, in the victim's office, working. The timestamp showed that they were present before, during and after the estimated time of death that the M.E. had managed to narrow down to a 15 minute gap.

"It seems legit." Dave told her, almost reading her mind and answering the question she had yet to ask. "No secondary encryption, no jumps. I don't think these two were involved."

"Yeah, me neither." She sighed before nodding.

"So we can rule out them two as suspects?" Natalia spoke up, approaching where they stood from where she had been sitting on a chair to the side. "We don't really have many other leads. I haven't gone through his diary yet. At least, not properly."

"I think that's our best bet right now if we want to get anymore of an insight into what might have happened." Calleigh said with a heavy sigh, running a hand through her hair. "There's nothing else on this tape that might help us?"

"Not that I can tell." The A/V tech shook his head, pausing at where they had reached and turning to face her. "I can keep running it if you want. There are other checks I could do, but they usually take a lot of time."

"Right now, I think it's all we have." Calleigh replied tiredly. "Thanks, Dave."

"No problem. I'll do it first thing in the morning. Unless, you want me to run it now? I could get the nightshift tech to keep an eye on it." He asked her.

"No, I think it'll be alright to leave until tomorrow. There's nothing we can do this late, anyway." She replied, thanking him once again before gathering up the files that they had brought into the room with them.

"Call it a day, then?" Natalia asked her as they exited the lab and headed towards the evidence storage area to replace the surveillance video with the files for the night.

"I can't see what else there is we can do. Even if we did find something, it won't be anything that can't wait until tomorrow morning." Calleigh assured her. Making sure that everything was put in the right place with the right labelling, the two women then gratefully made their way towards the locker room to finally leave.

"Alright. I'll get started on the diary first thing." She stated. Natalia's words were the last that they spoke of the case that night, instead making small talk as they got ready to go home.

They were in the car park not 10 minutes later, laughing at an anecdote that the younger CSI was reciting about her college years when Calleigh felt her cell phone vibrate. Digging it out of her jacket pocket as she carried on listening to Natalia's story, she couldn't help but smile when she caught the sender ID of the text message she had just received.

"And I'm going to stop talking now, because I'm pretty sure that nothing is going to go in now." Natalia joked when she spotted the look on her friend's face.

"I'm still listening!" Calleigh insisted with a laugh.

"Good, because then you'll know that was the end of it." She giggled as they approached the parking space for her car. "Have a good one. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You, too, Natalia." She replied, waving briefly with her free hand while carrying on towards where her car was parked. The smile on her face hadn't died down even by a fraction as she re-read the message on her phone.

'_Babe, you finished work yet? Am getting hungry. x'_ It was plain, simple and not utterly romantic in any sense, but it still made Calleigh grin like a teenager with a crush. Putting it down to the fact that she could almost visualise the teasing smirk on his face as he had sent it, she pressed the call button on her cell and waited for it to connect.

"Hey, you." Calleigh greeted him as soon as he had picked up with a short, impersonal 'Delko', indicating that he hadn't checked the ID before picking up. "I got your message."

"_Yeah? You finally heading home, then?_" Eric answered, his voice both light and warm at the same time with an underlying tone of gladness that was music to her ears.

"I'm just getting to my car as we speak." She assured him, laughing softly as she approached her car and dug the keys for it out of her purse.

"_Good._" His reply was strict even though Calleigh could hear the mischievousness in his voice.. "_Because I don't think I can last much longer without eating something._"

"Hey, that's your own fault. No-one told you not to eat anything!" Calleigh reprimanded him over the phone as she finally managed to set her bag on the passenger's seat and shut the door after climbing in the driver's side.

"_I was waiting for you, so you could make us something to eat._" Eric reminded her, his words insistent and carefully structured to sound earnest. "_Like you promised you would._"

"I'm touched. Really." She said dryly as her smile widened at the reminder of the bet from that morning. Inserting the key into the ignition, Calleigh started up the car with a newfound eagerness to get home. "I'll be there in 20. Yours or mine?"

"_Mine._" He informed her. She could hear a quiet rustling all of a sudden, followed by the unmistakable sound of a cupboard door shutting before he carried on. "_20 minutes, Cal. I'll be counting._"

"I'll see you then."

"_See you._" Eric replied hurriedly before hanging up and the dial tone rang in her ear.

Slightly confused by his urgency and the fact that he had hung up on her without the chance for her to add anything if she had wanted to, Calleigh frowned while tossing her phone onto the seat next to her, atop of her bag. She pulled out of her parking space a few seconds after tugging across her seatbelt, forcing herself to push the worry out of her head. Instead, she ran through a mental list of things that she could possibly cook up for dinner with minimal effort. The first thing that had popped into her head was to grab some takeout, but that thought was quickly rid of when she realised that that would take longer than actually cooking.

Deciding to leave it until she was actually in the kitchen, Calleigh was surprised to find that she had arrived at Eric's condo. Apparently, she had driven there on autopilot. The thought both made her tummy flip; the journey was so familiar now that it was like going home, and kind of freaked her out as she had never really liked spacing out and letting time pass her without any knowledge when no-one else was there. Especially when she was driving at night. She had been to too many crime scenes where someone had been heading home from work, usually to a loved one, only for them to never reach there.

Shaking her head to clear it and turning off the engine, it took only a couple more minutes for her to gather her things, exit the car and enter the building. Calleigh had the key in her hand, jiggling it subtly until she reached the door for which it would open. She didn't bother announcing her arrival, knowing full well the instant that she shut the door that Eric hadn't seen her yet.

Calleigh grinned to herself as she dropped her stuff on her way towards the adjoining room where she knew he was. Crossing the threshold into the large kitchen area, the clicking of her stilettos against the tiled floor gave her presence away, no matter how hard she tried to remain inconspicuous.

"Hey. I was just about to give you a call." Eric greeted her as he turned away from the stove where he had been busy working and towards her. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Not great observational skills for a CSI there, Delko." She teased him, approaching where he stood and peering into the pan on the hob to see what was cooking in it. "What's this? I thought I was making dinner tonight."

"I know, but like I said; I was getting hungry." He replied cheekily, pulling her closer to him by her waist as her arms came around his neck. "Plus, I figured after a day like today, you'd be too tired to cook, and I was already here, so I thought I'd take over."

"Well, aren't you the sweetest?" Calleigh whispered, her smile spreading to him just seconds before she wiped it away with a kiss filled with passion and need. Cutting it short before they got to the point where they decided to forego dinner, something they had done plenty of times before, she pressed another quick lingering kiss to his lips before pulling right away. She loosened her arms from where they were, gliding her hands down his front until she could wrap one around his waist. Calleigh could feel his own arms reposition themselves to her shoulders, holding her close as he could as she reached out with her free hand to pick up the spoon that had been stirring the gravy on the stove. "You spoil me, you know that?"

"It's just pasta. Don't get too excited." Eric scoffed. She dropped the spoon back into the pan, letting it rest against the side, and hit his chest gently with the back of her hand.

"I happen to like your pasta." Calleigh informed him with a fake scowl that soon disappeared when she sighed heavily and leaned into him. "Thank you, though. I'll make it up to you; I promise."

"I'll hold you to that." The words were innocent enough, but she could hear the slyness to it without having to even try.

"Hmm… I'm sure." She muttered noncommittally.

Silence engulfed then for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts and the moment until Calleigh turned her head to press her face into his chest. She remained like that for a few seconds, simply inhaling his masculine scent that helped to calm her down and unwind after a hectic before pulling herself away with a deep sigh.

"How long until we eat? Do I have time to get changed?" She asked him quietly, running her hands through her hair to push it out of her face when she was completely out of his embrace.

"Yeah, sure." Eric replied. He took a few steps back and lent against the counter, crossing his arms as he spoke. "It's not going to go bad if we wait a little while."

"Actually, I was more worried about you, what with you being starving." Calleigh joked, making him roll his eyes mockingly.

"I'm sure I can last a few more minutes. I have lasted over an hour so far."

"Oh, the sacrifices you make." She gushed dryly, turning away from him and making her way out of the kitchen area and towards where his bedroom was situated. "I promise I'll be quick."

"Take your time, Cal." Eric called after her as he tended to the dinner he was making. A content sigh left his lips because, regardless of the time and the long day, making dinner for the two of them, no matter how small, was a domestic occurrence that had taken 12 years to get to. But they had gotten to it, and that was all that he was grateful for.

…

"You do realise that we have work tomorrow, right?" Calleigh whispered into the dark of the room. It wasn't dark, per se, but with the lights turned to the bare minimum and the TV supplying the only other source of light, it was close enough. They had been sitting in the quiet ever since eating dinner and washing up almost an hour beforehand until she had chosen to break it.

"I know." Eric replied from where he sat next to her, eyes trained on the TV. There was about a half a foot gap between the two of them on the couch; him slouching with his feet resting up onto his coffee table in front him whereas Calleigh had hers tucked underneath her body on the sofa itself.

"And it's a possible double where we have almost no leads." She added, turning her head to look at him from where she had it propped upon her arm against the back of the couch.

"I know." He repeated in the same blasé tone. Calleigh could tell that he knew her eyes were on him, especially by the way he attempted to hide the slight tug on his lips by taking a sip of his beer.

"So tell me, Eric," She paused to have a small taste of the red wine she had in her other hand. Swallowing it slowly, she peered at the glass with exaggerated curious eyes and swirled the liquid inside it around as she carried on. "Why did I let you convince me into watching a movie and having another drink this late?"

"Because, _Calleigh_," He mimicked in a smug tone., tilting his head to look over at her with his smile place. "You just can't say 'no' to me."

"Now, we both know that's not _entirely_ true." Calleigh stated saccharinely, taking another sip of her drink before leaning forwards to place it onto the table.

"Oh?" Eric asked with a hint of a pout forming on his lips that was ruined by the inability to refrain himself from smiling.

"Please." She scoffed at him, reaching out with a single finger to tap him lightly on his jaw.. "You're cute, but not that cute."

"Ouch." He winced, placing a hand over his heart momentarily before breaking out into a grin. "Never heard that one before."

"Sorry." Calleigh apologized half-heartedly, barely managing to get the word out before she was stifling a yawn with the back of her hand. "But seriously, we should head to bed. It's been a long day."

"I know. Let's just finish this first." Eric replied quietly, turning back to the movie that was on the TV.

"And if I say no?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow challengingly as he simply stared at her for a moment as he took another sip of his drink.

"You won't. You're not going to move until I do. You're too tired." He told her with a gentle shrug before facing the TV once again. "Besides, you love me too much to leave me by myself here when we've hardly seen each other all day."

"You know me too well."

"It's a gift. Tends to happen when you've known someone for over a decade." Eric informed her, his voice softening at the thought of how long it had actually been, yet how short it felt like they had been together. Half a year wasn't anything compared to the 12 years of history that they had.

"Which is why I know you, too." Calleigh remarked while pushing herself away from the back of the couch and leaning more towards him. Taking the bottle out of his hand, she placed it next to her glass on the coffee table.

"What's that mean?" He asked, trying to act as nonchalant as he could even as she shuffled closer and then lifted a knee over his legs so she could straddle his lap.

"Still what to finish the movie?" She murmured, the words forming against his lips as she wound her arms around his neck as his hands settled comfortably on her hips.

"Movie?" Eric mumbled in between the quick, chaste kisses that they were sharing. "What movie?"

"Good answer."

…

The persistent blaring of the alarm clock woke them both up the next morning. Although she was sure that the alarm wasn't _actually _blaring, it sure sounded like it after a night of peaceful, if not short, sleep.

"Eric…" Calleigh groaned, pushing at him lightly to make him turn around and switch it off. She knew that she could also reach around him to do the same thing, but for some reason, she felt much more drained that morning than before. "Er-"

"Yeah, I go' it." He mumbled before she could finish and rolled onto his back to turn it off. Calleigh could feel the cool air hit her as soon as his body lost touch with hers. Despite the humidity of the morning, she snuggled back up to him, this time curling up into his side rather than against his chest.

"What time is it?" She asked him, refusing to open her eyes as she got comfortable once again, even though she knew it would be short lived.

"6." Eric replied. His voice was still hoarse from sleep, making Calleigh smile at the sound of it.

"Already?" She sighed, finally opening her eyes as she felt herself wake up a bit more, even as the hand rubbing her back soothingly was only working to do the opposite. Calleigh was pretty sure he was succeeding in getting her back to sleep when she inhaled deeply to fight back a yawn. "What time did we go to sleep?"

"Last time I checked," He paused momentarily as he tried to recall the memory from the night before. Calleigh tilted her head up as she stretched herself out on the bed, watching curiously as a slow smirk grew on his face. "It had been around 12.30, but-"

"I got you." She cut him off, knowing exactly where his thoughts were heading, and knowing even more specifically which actions his words would lead to. Instead, she let out another groan whilst pulling away from him and laying down flat on her back against the cool sheets of the unused side of the bed. "I don't think I can make it through today with just 5 hours sleep."

"Hmm…" Eric murmured, turning onto his side towards her but remaining in his half-asleep domain with his eyes still shut and voice low and husky. "Thank God for coffee."

"You got that right." Calleigh said almost inaudibly. Taking in a deep breath, she gathered some urge to push herself up onto her elbows before sitting up slowly. "Ok, c'mon. time to get up."

"For you, maybe." He replied, pressing his face into the soft pillow beneath his head. "I'll get up after you get out of the shower."

"You're going to fall back asleep." She warned him with a cheerful manner that only she could conjure up that early in the morning, throwing the sheets that were covering her to the side before moving to sit on the edge of the bed. Fighting the want to simply collapse back into bed again, she straightened the overwhelming t-shirt she had pulled on at some time, once belonging to the man behind her, before standing up.

"That's the plan." His answer came a few seconds later. Calleigh turned to look at him, not sure whether to smile or scowl at the fact that he had made himself comfortable once again in his bed, replacing what had been her body under his arm with bunched up sheets.

"Eric…"

"I just need some more time."

"We all do." Calleigh scoffed before laughing. Leaning a knee onto the bed, she reached over to pull the sheet away from his body , not impressed to see that he had some pyjama bottoms on already. Huffing, she picked up the pillow that was now free and used it to hit him once around the head. "Hey, up!"

"Hm." He merely grumbled, seemingly unaffected by her actions.

"Ignoring me isn't going to get you anywhere, babe." Calleigh informed him sweetly. When she got no response once again, she leant in closer so that she was speaking directly into his ear; dropping her voice to a low, seductive whisper. "C'mon, let's go conserve water."

"You know we won't." Eric replied sleepily, turning his face out of the pillow towards her without even opening his eyes when he felt the pressure of her body against the mattress leave.

"You're choosing 10 more minutes in bed over helping the environment?" She questioned him incredulously, an eyebrow raised daringly when she spotted the smirk return to his face.

"Is that what they call it these days?" He asked her, finally fully opening his eyes to look directly at her. She could tell that they were still sleep riddled; cloudy and not able to focus properly, but there was a gleam to them that told her that her words had scored an effect on him.

"Maybe. Why don't you come and find out?" Calleigh said innocently, holding out a hand and wriggling her fingers in an invitation. "You know you want to."

Eric simply stared up at her, blinking a few times to both rid his eyes of sleep and to take her in. It was a sight, despite how many times he saw it, he could never get enough of. Her blonde hair was shining in the little bit of sunlight that streamed in from the window blinds, making it look that much more glorious. The fact that it was sleep tousled, along with the fact that he knew she was wearing nothing but _his _shirt, made him realise just how true her words were.

Groaning dramatically, he turned onto his back and rubbed his face with both hands a couple of times to clear his mind. They still had work to get to in an hour or so, regardless of what happened or could happen between now and then. But that didn't stop him from finally getting up and out of bed, rounding it to take hold of the small and soft proffered hand.

"Alright, alright." Eric said as he did so, still rubbing his eyes with his free hand as she dragged him towards the bathroom. "You're buying me coffee for this."

"Yeah, whatever." Calleigh brushed off, knowing that when they did eventually come out of the shower, coffee would be the last thing on either one of their minds.


End file.
